Pampa Kampana witnesses her mother's self-immolation following her home Kingdom's defeat. A goddess takes pity on the devastated child and makes her an instrument in the creation of the greatest city of the 14th through 16th century. She gives the girl seeds to spread, which grow into citizens, and Pampa's whispers give those people their pasts and stories. Victory City rises, a place where men and women are equal, business flourishes as well as art and culture.

Of course, that doesn't last long. Pampa Kampana will live throughout Victory CIty's 250 years, but she has decreasing influence as this novel becomes more about warring kingdoms than what a wise queen can do to to shape a society. Rushdie's prose is beautiful as usual, funny, playful, and at times brutal. But the story feels like a slack thread, slumping and pulling taut, then slumping again.

It finally wore me out. There was so much possibility here. Victory City needed more women's influence and power to make it into the phenom that was supposed to be. That's the kind of magic I know Salmon Rushdie can bring.

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Victory City by Salman Rushdie tells of an Indian woman, a poet, who has been granted the power of a goddess. Mr. Rushdie is, of course, an award-winning author of international bestsellers.

Pampa Kampana watched her mother burn herself to death. The orphan girl becomes a vessel for the goddess Parvati, granting her powers of foreknowledge, youth, artificially long life, and more.

The demi-goddess is instrumental in creating a magical city, Bisnaga (Victory City), and is an integral part of it for hundreds of years to come. The task Parvati set for Pampa Kampana is to turn the patriarchal world on its head, chiefly making women equal to men.

I didn’t know anything about the Vijayanagara empire when I first started reading this book. I checked out one or two web pages about it just for context. Turns out that the empire covered most of south India during the 15th and 16th centuries, an economic power trading with Europe as well as the far east. The empire was also full of modern ideas, palace intrigue, and foreign wars.

The author assured me that this book was a translation of an epic poem called jayaparājayam (victory and defeat), retold so a layman like myself could actually understand it. This layman certainly appreciated this kind gesture.

Victory City by Salman Rushdie was, surprisingly due to its subject, a cheerful journey even though the end of it is known from the start. I enjoyed the magical realism of the story, as well as the building of classes, religious conflicts, and the political implications of decisions made by members of the royal households over the centuries. There are certainly big ideas in this novel, but they are presented in a readable narrative.

Clearly, Mr. Rushdie is having fun with this book. The great empire is created with Pampa Kampana’s magic, led by two incompetent soldiers now cow herders, who become great kings (the Sangama who, I discovered, are historical figures).
An apt parallel to today’s political realism, unfortunately for everyone but those in power.

The book makes its key point with the last line after empires have fallen, kings and demi goddesses, lost their powers, and shepherds who would be kings are dead and buried. Written words have the last laugh, and are victorious.

Delighted to include this title in the February edition of Novel Encounters, my regular column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction, for the Books section of Zoomer magazine. (column at link)

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House publishing for my e-arc for and honest review.
This was one of my most anticipated fantasy reads of 2023, and I wasn’t exactly happy with it. I think the biggest issue is that I thought this entire story was about a magical woman, but it turns out she is just a side character. It is an Indian mythology read, and I didn’t expect that going into it. This book was not what I thought it was.
I gave it a good chance though because the writing was beautiful. However, the book was hard to finish because I was bored. This book just wasn’t for me.

Magical and engrossing from the first chapter. This was beautifully visual and I was able to see so much during my reading. The fantasy / fairy tale / here presented as a translation of an ancient epic is brilliant. And with feminism, and equality, and respect for all? - I loved that.

I didn’t rush through this, it was like a really rich, decadent dessert - I wanted to take my time and really savor it ❤️

Absolute recommendation, I’m going to re-read this one, and probably listen to it, because I feel as though that will work well for me, as I still love feeling like someone is telling me a grand and wonderful tale.

I'll happily be the odd one out for this latest from Rushdie who has both frustrated and entertained me over the years- and I'll make an outside the lit box recommendation of it to fans of fantasy. It's a swirling and epic tale ripped from 14th century Indian myth and lore. There are kings fighting for position, there's a young girl (she does age) there's all the elements of a fantasy novel. Yes, there's also allegory but the casual reader will enjoy this for the language and the storytelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I keep trying with Rusdie (his essays are aces) but once again found myself at sea in an ocean of words.

I was excited to read a new book by Salman Rushdie. I have never read one of his books before and thought this would be a great opportunity. I was sadly disappointed. The book seemed to ramble on. Yes, the book is about words being the only thing that survives, and how only the telling is how what happens is remembered. The words were very pretty but in the end they meant very little to me. It could have been more meaningful.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is a book that made me wish I knew more about the history of India. Half-assed Wikipedia research tells me this is based on the history of the real-life Vijayanagara Empire (which searching for the "Kingdom of Bisnaga" redirects to, though there is no mention of the name "Bisnaga" in the article itself), about which I knew precisely nothing prior to reading this book. As such, it serves as an interesting story and sort-of window into some history I didn't know (and would be interested to read more about), but I couldn't help but feel I wasn't getting everything out of it that I could. Part of what makes a fabulist and semi-mythical "history" like this fun is being able to identify where the author is playing with, commenting on, or recontextualizing the real history it's based on, and I knew I was missing all of that.

Presumably readers with some better knowledge of medieval Indian history would get even more enjoyment out of the book, so I also wish I knew how much play the Vijayanagara Empire gets in, say, the Indian education system or pop culture; perhaps this is all meant to be common knowledge, or perhaps Rushdie has picked a fairly obscure historical power to have more freedom in being able to mythicize the story. Either is interesting, and puts a different spin on how I look at the book. It makes a good counterpoint to Gourav Mohanty's excellent <i>Sons of Darkness</i>, which gives a similar treatment to the Mahabharata, and which I also knew I was missing the wider context for.

The weaving of story and history is a powerful way to explore the way we are all shaped by stories. This novel grips you tight and pulls you in beguiling you even while it twists and turns through a delicate balance and exploration of dichotomies like: fact and fiction, male and female, victory and loss. I will be pondering this story for a while and will likely return to it after I read some of the referenced texts and historical events to better appreciate the authors deft work blending history and myth together. This will be a book I will be recommending often.
ARC provided by NetGalley.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading Rushdie and I was a little underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong, the writing is beautiful. But the story itself was meandering to the point of boredom and our MC got surprisingly little page time.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this advance readers copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review. To start with, this book absolutely blew me away and captivated me from the first page to the last. It is an absolutely epic story of the fantastical Bisnaga Empire, with our main character, Pampa Kampana, at the center of its long history. She is a key force in the empire’s creation and it’s overall existence, which of course is also influenced by other leaders and key characters.
The writing style in this book was truly reminiscent of an ancient epic story, while also being fully digestible, and it created a sort of reverent air about the forthcoming story. Rushdie’s descriptions truly made you “see” the ancient city that was created, without detracting from the ongoing narrative that was propelling the story forward.
I loved the feminist energy and strength that ran through this book and through our main character, Pampa, and appreciated these themes in a novel set so far back in history. It was interesting to read an epic story, in this style, where our main character and some others (albeit not all and not throughout the entire story) maintained more modern stances and values. Another element of the story that I appreciated was that although there were many fantasy elements, they were so seamlessly integrated with realistic sequences that it did not detract from the main story or require significant effort to read through.
The only fault I could find, which did not particularly bother me, were some anachronistic sentences that felt like they would’ve been more appropriate in modern times than in the historical time of the book. However, I often found that these phrases/sentences were often coupled with more modern sentiments, such as the feminist or more forward thinking passages that I mentioned above. Thus, I think this style actually worked well for me!
I absolutely flew through this book and can say at the end of it, that it was 100% worthy of the time and attention that a close reading demands. Simply put, absolutely loved this book and would recommend to anyone interested in an epic, yet digestible, historical tale and/or stories with strong female leads.

My only other Rushdie book to have read is Quichotte. I really enjoyed it. I loved the prose; I loved the story. Rushdie's prose still amazes me. The story completely missed me. There is a good chance that I am at least some if not most of the problem. But Victory City was not an enjoyable time for me.

ARC provided for an honest review.

I tried to read this twice. It's just not at all what I expected. I thought this was a story about a woman, but she is really a sideline character. It's about kings fighting over the throne and going to war and building temples. Pampa wants women to be equal? She doesn't even befriend any women in the city. There are no other female characters. The story isn't really about her at all. DNF 50%.

"The epic tale of a woman who breathes a fantastical empire into existence, only to be consumed by it over the centuries - from the transcendent imagination of Booker Prize - winning, internationally bestselling author Salman Rushdie.

In the wake of an unimportant battle between two long-forgotten kingdoms in fourteenth-century southern India, a nine-year-old girl has a divine encounter that will change the course of history. After witnessing the death of her mother, the grief-stricken Pampa Kampana becomes a vessel for her namesake, the goddess Pampa, who begins to speak out of the girl's mouth. Granting her powers beyond Pampa Kampana's comprehension, the goddess tells her that she will be instrumental in the rise of a great city called Bisnaga - "victory city" - the wonder of the world.

Over the next 250 years, Pampa Kampana's life becomes deeply interwoven with Bisnaga's, from its literal sowing from a bag of magic seeds to its tragic ruination in the most human of ways: the hubris of those in power. Whispering Bisnaga and its citizens into existence, Pampa Kampana attempts to make good on the task that the goddess set for her: to give women equal agency in a patriarchal world. But all stories have a way of getting away from their creator, and Bisnaga is no exception. As years pass, rulers come and go, battles are won and lost, and allegiances shift, the very fabric of Bisnaga becomes an ever more complex tapestry - with Pampa Kampana at its center.

Brilliantly styled as a translation of an ancient epic, Victory City is a saga of love, adventure, and myth that is in itself a testament to the power of storytelling."

Seriously, how did Rushdie NOT get a Noble Peace Prize last year?

I had never read anything by Rushdie, and tried to give this a go, but it just wasn't for me. I believe others will find more to like here than I did.

If you are a fan of Salman Rushdie, you will not be disappointed with his latest novel. Beautifully written and captivating story. Highly recommend!

All hail Salman Rushdie!!

The amazing author wrote this novel prior to the attack in NYC. I was fortunate to receive an ARC ahead of publishing date.

Victory City is classic Rushdie - an epic tale based on Indian lore.
The book focuses upon Pampa Kampana - a young girl gifted by the goddess pampa with ability to create the Victory City "Bisnaga" via magic in 14th century India. For 250 years we follow Pampa the women as well as Pampa the goddess a long, multigenerational saga highlighting rulers and turmoil.

I love this book and recommend it to all who want to be swept away in fantasy and myth. Best yet, it's published on my birthday, Happy Birthday to me!

If you like sweeping sagas, beautiful writing and tales of good and evil, Victory City is for you! #RandomHouse

I have loved Salman Rushdie from the minute i was assigned Midnight's Children in college freshman year. His fantastical and humorous sweeping stories are just a great read and Victory City is perfection. This reminded me so much of Midnight's Children , with the relatable characters and some of the fantastical events that happen. I love the humanity that Pampa Kampana retains over her long life. and the city of Bisinga and its turmoil and promise..
Thank you Mr. Rushdie for this beautiful book.